1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a portable and lightweight fluorescent lighting system suitable for use in the field of photography, television and motion pictures utilizing fluorescent lamps.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,885 disclosed a portable fluorescent lighting system. This system comprised of 5 corrugated panels that formed the basis of a lighting fixture. The five panels were created from one piece of corrugated polypropylene plastic. The panels were established by removing two to three upright flutes and one skin of corrugation between each panel. The remaining material formed a living hinge joining the 5 panels. The ends of the panel contained a U channel that carried a flexible metal wire that acted as a retention mechanism for holding the orientation of the panels once they were positioned by the user. The lighting system became very popular in motion picture lighting applications. The hinge retention mechanism being made of flexible metal wire had a given life span due to metal fatigue. After the metal fatigue resulted in the failure of the wire it would have to be replaced. Improvements were made along the way in which the flexible wire was encased in a flexible metal shield. This shield prevented sharp bends in the wire that would lead to premature wire fatigue and failure and thusly extended the life span of the wire.
Attempts at improving on the wire retention mechanism were challenging in that the panels do not pivot on a central point. Instead they pivot from one side of the living hinge. The original wire retainer concept was very low cost and very light weight. Applying conventional hinges to the fixture design never worked due to the pivot centers always being off center. Replacing the living hinge with a conventional hinge dramatically increased the cost and weight of the fixture as well as assembly costs. There was never a viable solution to improving on the hinge.
Various attempts have been made by others to construct a low maintenance hinge retention mechanism for this style of fixture. Film Gear, a Chinese manufacturer constructed a mechanism that comprised many parts that added weight and was costly to construct. They relied on a complex series of broad shallow U channels in which conventional hinge elements would slide back and forth under tension. The panels relied on the tension of the sliding hinge elements binding with the edges of the U channel. Over time this tension would lessen and fail to support the panels. The high assembly cost, weight and limited mobility of the mechanism were not considered a product enhancement. The performance of this hinge over time did not live up to the claims of superiority. When it required replacement the process was also labor intensive. This approach never found market acceptance.